Harry's Bar enhances fine all-weather record

There was a good outcome for Ado McGuiness in the Bar One Racing Mourne Handicap as 10/3 favourite Harry’s Bar led home stablemate Dream Today

Both horses run in the colours of Shamrock Thoroughbreds.

The race set up perfectly for top weight Harry’s Bar as he sat in off a furious gallop. Adam Caffrey asked him to improve from early in the straight and he gained a narrow lead over Strong Johnson a furlong out as the early pace-setters wilted. Strong Johnson could find no more in the final hundred yards as Dream Today and Rough Diamond came past him for minor honours. Half a length and three parts of a length were the margins.

This was a thirteenth career success for seven-year-old Harry’s Bar who has yet to win on turf.

Ado McGuinness said: "Yes (a fair effort) under that weight. The young lad (Adam Caffrey) was very good on him, he's great value for 7lb. He was excellent on him, he didn't panic. They went good and fast and sometimes lads would panic but he didn't. He gave it a great ride and my other horse (runner-up Dream Today) ran a belter as well.

"I don't know what he is going to be rated after today! He's a very, very good horse and the boys have had great fun out of him. He's a horse of a lifetime for a bunch of lads. We'll just tip away with him. I don't know what we will do next. We will come back here for the Group 3 later on in the year (Mercury Stakes on Friday 21st October), that will be his main target.

"We did travel him before, he definitely wants Tapeta or some sort of an all-weather surface. We were going to take him to Canada one year and it was too much money to fly him out! He will travel again somewhere."

Quotes from Michael Graham